Day 27 – Chugiak, AK

Day 27 – Chugiak, AK    09/16/10     Mileage: Local miles  

I arrived at Scott’s house around 8pm last night and was greeted by him and his wife Becki. Glenn was also there and it was great to see those guys again! After telling more stories and lies, Glenn left for home and I turned in soon after. In the morning, Scott had already left for work and I chatted with Becki over coffee for a bit before heading into Anchorage to run some errands. I went to an internet cafe for breakfast and to start getting back up to date with the blog. Next I went to REI for a new camp stove which cost me over 2 days of travel. I’ve begun to measure expenses over $65 (my daily average budget for all expenses) by how many days it shaves off the trip. The new stove cost $138, so I just shortened my trip by 2 days….bummer. The upside is saving money instead of eating out when I want a hot meal, so hopefully it will pay for itself and then some. After REI I went to the local Kawasaki dealer for some tech advice. I spoke with Shannon, who was a big help not only with advice but also helped to adjust my engine balancer chain tension which was well past the service interval.  

The Motorcycle Shop in Anchorage, AK

The other problem is that the tires were not balanced very well by the dealer in Fairbanks, and I’m getting a fair amount of vibration at highway speeds and some front end shake in high speed corners. The shaking and discomfort I can deal with…I just wanted to be sure I wouldn’t chew up my wheel bearings. After that it was back to Scott’s house for dinner. Glenn also came over and Becki cooked a great meal, complete with a blackberry crisp for desert.  

L to R: Glen, Scott and me

Next I tried on some local Alaska fashion…a beaver fur hat, vest and mittens…..stylish indeed!  

Local Alaska fashion...beaver fur with walrus tusk adornment…

More fur...I think the only endangered species in Alaska are the people who work for PETA! LOL!

After a good laugh mostly at my expense and more good conversation, I called it a night.